Time of visit: August 2018

Duration of visit: 2 days

Mode of transportation: within the WHS - scenic flight, scuba diving, and kayaking; to get to Palau, from Honolulu, via the United Pacific Hopper flights, and then connecting through Guam

Review and experience

Palau is a tiny country by land size and population (albeit its EEZ is quite large), but its only WHS of Rock Islands is well deserving and certainly serves as the country's crown jewel by all means. I was in love with Palau the moment I was in the immigration queue (a rarity... since most immigration experiences are less than pleasant), but the Palau passport stamp was so unique, as stamp is a pledge to protect Palau's environment, signature and all.  

In total, I was fortunate to experience Rock Islands 3-ways. And as such, my highlights:

• Scuba diving: Day 1 of my time in Palau, I spent a full day scuba diving in the park. The sights were amazing, and highlights were 1) the beautiful coral reefs, 2) the many reef sharks that we spotted along the dives, and 3) the manta ray that graced our 2nd dive. If memory serves right, dive 1 was Blue Corner and dive 2 was German Channel; both are highly popular dive sites.
• Kayaking: On Day 2, I spent the morning solo kayaking in Nikko Bay. The same dive shop offered kayaks for a great price, so I took full advantage of it.  This was the most relaxing time I've spent over the two weeks hopping along islands of Polynesia and Micronesia, and I wish I had more time.  It was also a wake up call to how important it is to protect our environment - even for a WHS and a country that prides itself on environmentalism, Palau's Nikko Bay had a fair share of plastic floating around given its proximity to its largest city Koror. I picked up as much as I could (including a Frozen Elsa doll... oh the irony here - perhaps Elsa drowned b/c of global warming?), but it felt like one grain of sand on a vast beach!
• Scenic flight: Day 2's afternoon was the finale - a highly anticipated scenic flight over the Rock Islands. The nerves of flying in a plane without doors took a bit of time to go away, but once it did, I loved having my feet out in the wind while enjoy the breathtaking scenery below. True to the words of UNESCO, the aesthetic beauty of the Rock Islands is world class. 

I was frankly unaware of the Mixed classification for Rock Islands, so I did not make an effort to see the cultural aspect, though in retrospect this component may hard to access. Unfortunately but also gratefully, I could not visit the famous Jellyfish Lake either, as it was closed starting in 2017 for rehabilitation - and thankfully so!

Two days in Palau flew by, with Rock Islands as the highlight of my experience. I hope to be back one day (though it may be years or even decades), and I hope when I am back, that the Rock Islands will be teeming with even more life above and below water.